Research across subject boundaries: Researchers from the University of Bonn have been awarded a prize by the University's Transdisciplinary Research Area "Life and Health" for three special projects in the life sciences. The steering committee of the research area rewards the three project teams with 50,000 euros each for their creative and innovative approaches. Up to three researchers work together on one project. They come from the disciplines of biology, pharmacy, medicine and mathematics.

With a total of 14 researchers, the University of Bonn is represented this year in the international ranking of "Highly Cited Researchers".

“What’s really hiding behind the term ‘post-factual’—lies, fabrications, illusionary self-delusion or something else?” This was the question that the Institute for Hermeneutics at the University of Bonn set in its competition for early-career researchers from across Germany. A panel of political scientists, sociologists and theologians then picked the three best entries from all the submissions. The winners— Dr. Martin Breul (Catholic Theology, University of Cologne, 1st place), Florian Buchmayr (Sociology, University of Bremen, 2nd place) and Eytan Celik (Philosophy, University of Bayreuth, 3rd place)—have now been given the opportunity to present their work at the concluding symposium held online.

Antibiotics are a not only crucial weapons in the fight against bacterial infections, but form central pillars for many advanced therapeutic interventions in modern medicine. However, these drugs are losing efficacy because of the rise of antibiotic resistance. World Antimicrobial Awareness Week aims to increase awareness of the growing problem of global antimicrobial resistance among the general public, health workers and policy makers. In a joint initiative, the universities Bonn and Tübingen support this important effort.

Living and working with robots changes people. How can artificial intelligence (AI) be innovative and respect social values at the same time? In the future, one of the world's leading experts in the field of robot ethics will be conducting research on these questions at the University of Bonn. Prof. Aimee van Wynsberghe has been selected by the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation for a Humboldt Professorship and will receive EUR 3.5 million—the highest endowed research prize in Germany intended to attract renowned scientists from abroad to carry out long-term research at German universities. Aimee van Wynsberghe comes from the Technical University of Delft (Netherlands) and plans to begin her work at the University of Bonn on February 1, 2021.

After the preliminary publication on the preprint server medRxiv in May 2020, the study by scientists of the University of Bonn about the first coronavirus outbreak in Germany in the community of Gangelt has been published in the renowned scientific journal Nature Communications.

The Universities of Bonn (Germany) and St Andrews (Scotland) are hosting a digital panel discussion with high-profile guests on the role of science in the corona pandemic, set for Tuesday, November 17, 2:00 to 3:30 pm (MEZ). The public event is organized by Scotland House in Brussels.

2019 was a special year for the University of Bonn, as it became a university of excellence. The Rectorate's annual report, which has now been published, gives an overview of the "road to excellence" and what else has happened.